


Holding Out for a [Halloween] Hero

by ceealaina



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 00:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16482791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceealaina/pseuds/ceealaina
Summary: It’s just not a Halloween party without at least one punk dressed in an Iron Man costume.





	Holding Out for a [Halloween] Hero

It was a little known fact about Tony Stark that the man was a master of the Halloween party. This year was no exception, and he’d gone all out with a mad scientist theme. The common area of Stark Tower was unrecognizable, fog filling the room, beakers bubbling over on burners, and cobwebs decorating the ominous looking pieces of equipment that he’d dragged up from the lab for ambiance. He’d dressed the part too, wearing a full-length lab coat with his hair all wild and crazy, and somehow he’d convinced Bruce to play the Igor to his Frankenstein.

Everyone was having a blast, but Tony couldn’t help being a little disappointed that he hadn’t spotted Bucky yet. He totally got it. The other man wasn’t still wasn’t a big fan of crowds, and there were a lot of people in the tower tonight, half of whom were wearing masks, and everything looked different and unfamiliar. Tony understood completely, but he’d still been hoping the other man might pop up for a bit. The whole mad scientist theme had come about after Bucky had been joking with him in the lab one day, and even if Bucky probably didn’t remember the conversation, he’d wanted him to see the result.

“Tony, I think this is actually even better than last year.”

Tony turned at the sound of Clint’s voice, and promptly burst out laughing. “Are you...?”

Clint stuck his hip out an angle, slinging his bow over his shoulder, along with the braid of his wig. “Katniss Everdeen, bitches. Figured I’d just own it.”

“I feel like the reference is kind of outdated now.”

“And yet, you keep using it on me. So who’s really outdated, old man?”

Tony snorted, slapping Clint on the back, even as his eyes scanned the room yet again, just in case. He hardly realized he was doing it at this point, and when his eyes came back to Clint it was to find him watching him with a knowing gaze.

“Looking for someone, Tony?” Clint asked, smirking a little.

“Nope,” Tony answered, turning to the bar and signalling for a drink. He’d had all the waitstaff dress as lab rats, complete with furry ears and noses, but he was also paying them five times the normal rate for having to work on Halloween, so he didn’t feel too bad about it. The shot came bright blue and in a test tube, and he knocked it back, wincing a little at how sweet at was before requesting a proper scotch. The whole time he could feel Clint’s eyes watching him, but eventually the other man snorted and shook his head.

“Sure man, whatever you say.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but was saved having to respond by a cry of his name. He turned in time to half catch an armful of Sam, who was dressed like Dionne from Clueless. He had no idea how he had convinced Scott to join him as Cher (or maybe it was the other way around), but the two of them arriving had made his year.

“This party is fantastic, man!” he yelled, regaining his balance in the tottering heels to lean over the bar. “Can I get another one of the bright blue thingies?” he called, just a little too loud, beaming when the bartender moved to get the drink. 

Tony snorted a little. “How many bright blue thingies have you had tonight?” he couldn’t help teasing, catching Steve’s eye over top of Sam’s head as he joined them. 

“I lost count a couple hours ago,” Steve said dryly, looking over at Sam with a fond smile. Steve had failed Halloween entirely, dressed like a lumberjack in an outfit that really wasn’t all that different from his day to day casual wear. (Although Tony had to admit that the beard, which he’d probably spent all of a day growing, the asshole, was pretty hot.)

Sam rolled his eyes, knocking back his shot. “Don’t be jealous just cause you can’t get drunk, babe.” The height of maturity, he stuck his tongue out at Steve, patting him absently on the cheek in mock sympathy. Steve just shook his head, wrapping an arm around Sam’s shoulders and dropping a kiss to his temple, earning a sloppy drunk lovesick smile in return. It was adorable, and Tony resisted the urge to coo at them, even as his eyes flicked around the room yet again.

“Hey!” Sam said suddenly. “Where’s Barnes at anyway? I haven’t seen him all night.”

Tony jerked, wondering if Sam had become a telepath in the past couple hours, but when he glanced over at him he wasn’t even looking his way. He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Parties aren’t really his thing, last I checked. I think he decided to skip out.”

“No.” Steve was frowning, although it looked more exasperated than concerned. “He definitely decided he was coming. We were talking about it a couple of hours ago. He even has a costume.”

Tony ignored the way his heartbeat picked up at the thought of actually seeing Bucky tonight. He was acting like he was back in high school and expecting to run into his crush at the mall for fuck’s sake. It was probably whatever those bright blue thingies were. “A costume?” He repeated incredulously, to shut his brain up. “What happened to Sergeant Cranky Old Man Who Refuses to Dress Up? 

Sam actually giggled beside him, another shot in his hand. “We talked him into it. Well, Steve did mostly. Let’s be real, he can talk ol’ Buckaroo into anything. 

Tony ignored the sudden, completely irrational flare of jealousy that set off in his chest and shrugged instead. “Well, still. Maybe he changed his mind.” He gave Sam a wink. “My parties aren’t exactly known for being understated, honeybear.”

“Honeybear? I thought I was your honeybear. Are you cheating on me now? And with this ass?”

Tony turned at the familiar voice and gave an over exaggerated squeal as he was met with Rhodey, dressed in full pirate regalia. Without hesitation he launched himself at him, wrapping his arms around the other man like an octopus. “Rhodey, honey, platypus! You’re back! I’ve missed you oh so much!”

“Missed you too, Tones,” Rhodey said dryly, but his embrace was warm as he hugged Tony back. 

“And you make such a sexy pirate,” Tony added, waggling his eyebrows at him as he snagged them more drinks. “I thought you weren’t coming back until next week?”

“And miss the annual Stark Halloween extravaganza? Never!”

Tony beamed, ushering Rhodey over to the the bar, the two of them sitting and immediately launching into discussions about the latest War Machine developments. Sam and Steve stayed with them for awhile before Sam tried to get Steve to dance with him, and when he wouldn’t, disappeared to find Clint instead. Steve lingered a bit longer, shaking his head in amusement at the two of them before he wandered off as well. Tony was only vaguely aware of him leaving, so caught up in hanging with his bestie that he even almost forgot about hoping Bucky would show up.

Tony was regaling Rhodey with the tale of DumE’s latest misadventure with the fire extinguisher when Rhodey suddenly choked on his drink. “Tony,” he gasped, pointing somewhere over his shoulder.

Tony had immediately started patting him on the back, but Rhodey seemed insistent and so he turned and looked. It took him a half second to spot what Rhodey was pointing at, and then his jaw was dropping open and for a minute he couldn’t speak because Iron Man was walking towards him, and obviously it was Halloween, and he knew it was a costume, but the attention to detail was a little insane.

“What?” He managed, as Iron Man came to a stop in front of him. He couldn’t stop his eyes from roving the costume, taking in all the detailing, and this was obviously someone who’d seen the real thing up close and personal. “Who? 

The faceplate popped open - and holy shit was that thing actually automatic? - to reveal Bucky’s face, grinning back at him. “Happy Halloween, doll.”

“You... What?” Tony said again, still not quite wrapping his head around it. He pulled his head up to meet Bucky’s face, and couldn’t help his startled laugh when he spotted the drawn on reproduction of his own beard. “Barnes, are you actually me for Halloween? 

Bucky shrugged, leaning against the bar. “It’s Halloween. You’re supposed to dress as your hero, right?”

Tony felt his jaw drop again, and he hoped the flush on his cheeks could be blamed on the party. Behind him he was vaguely aware of Rhodey crowing about actually making Tony Stark speechless, but he didn’t much care. “Um.” He cleared his throat, trying to find words, and ended up shaking his head again, grinning like an idiot. “I...” He settled for a dramatic gesture, wiping fake tears off his cheeks. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Bucky grinned right back at him, looking immensely pleased, and it was a long time before Tony could bring himself to break eye contact. 

It was Rhodey clearing his throat that did it, and Tony coughed as he went back to ogling the suit. “How did you... shit, Barnes, this looks like the real thing.” His head snapped up suddenly. “Did you hack my suit?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Nah,” he drawled. “The reactor’s just a fancy blue light. It doesn’t actually do anything, ‘cept look cool.” He shrugged again. “I got a sharp eye for detail, and Jarvis helped me bring some of it to life.”

Tony looked up at Bucky again and found him watching him with a strange look. He couldn’t really decipher it, but it made him feel warm all over. He cleared his throat again, avoiding Bucky’s eyes. “Well, I guess we know who’s winning the costume contest.”

Bucky grinned at him, all bright and happy, and Tony couldn’t help beaming back, his eyes catching on Bucky’s again like he couldn’t look away. He was seriously going to have to find out what was in those bright blue thingies. Although Bucky seemed just as bad, his grin growing the more they stared at each other.

They drifted into conversation, although for the life of him Tony had no idea what they were actually talking about. He felt warm and fuzzy all over, the fact that Bucky had called him his hero, had dressed up as him for Halloween affecting him in ridiculous ways. He giggled suddenly, right in the middle of Bucky telling him something. The other man arched an eyebrow, thankfully looking more amused than annoyed.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony waved a hand, still grinning like a fool. “Just... too many bright blue thingies. And you... Yeah.” He giggled again, unable to stop himself. “I can’t believe you dressed up like me for Halloween.”

Bucky laughed too and gave him a wink, and suddenly there was an entirely different kind of heat in Tony’s belly. He’d been mostly ignoring it, but seeing Bucky in his suit, seeing him in the tech that he had designed (didn’t matter if it was actually functional or not) was kind of a major turn on. He shifted on his seat, eyes going wide when he realized that his dick had already started paying attention, and whirled back to face the bar. Only he must have had more to drink that he realized, because his coordination was shot to hell. He tripped over the long lab coat he was wearing, and nearly smashed his head into the counter, except for Bucky grabbing his arm, yanking him back and keeping him upright.

“Jesus, Tony, are you alright?” he asked, concern in his voice, although he also kind of looked like he was trying not to laugh. 

Tony groaned, partly from embarrassment and partly because Bucky hadn’t moved away, and now he was pressed up all close against him and he smelled really fucking good. He gave Bucky a lopsided smile. “Fine! I’m fine. Told you, too many bright blue thingies.”

Bucky snorted at that, but he kept his grip on Tony’s arm. “And they look so delicious,” he said dryly. He was still standing so close and Tony could feel sweat prickling on the back of his neck, his body reacting to his proximity.

“Aren’t you...” He gestured vaguely at Bucky. “Aren’t you hot? I’m hot-“ He leaned over the bar, grabbing an ice cube from the bucket and holding it against his neck with a soft groan. “- I mean, obviously I’m hot, everyone knows that.” He winked, because flirting was engrained in him and he couldn’t help it. “But I mean temperature wise. It’s like 1000 degrees in here with all these people, and since you didn’t actually hijack one of my suits you probably don’t have air filtration, and aren’t you hot?”

“Um.” Bucky was staring at Tony’s neck, eyes slightly unfocused, but he blinked and shook his head. “I’m a little warm,” he admitted, giving Tony another bright grin. “You wanna get some air?”

And shit, that had backfired. Not that he ever minded going anywhere with Bucky, but the alcohol was really going to his head tonight, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from kissing Bucky, or you know, humping him until he came in his pants, if he was left alone with him.

“Oh, well, I...” He started to use Rhodey as an excuse, since he hadn’t seen him in weeks, but Rhodey had apparently wandered off while he was busy eye fucking Bucky, and when he spun around to see where he’d gone, he tripped over his own feet again, Bucky once again catching him, this time before he could face plant into the ground.

“Yeah, okay, come on,” Bucky said, smile warm and fond as he steered him toward the elevator. “You need a break.”

“But it’s my party,” Tony said, protest half-hearted at best. “I’m the host. I’m not supposed to just leave.”

Bucky laughed again, warm and fond. “The party can take care of itself for a bit, doll, I promise.”

“That’s not fair,” Tony grumbled. “You know I can’t say no when you talk to me like one of your 40s dames.”

Bucky burst out laughing, and then they were stepping out into the real penthouse, Tony’s apartment or whatever, blissfully quiet and cool, and he had to admit that this maybe wasn’t a terrible idea. He hasn’t realized how tired he was until he was stumbling over to the couch and sprawling out full length on it with a groan, flinging an arm over his eyes. “When did I start getting too old for this shit,” he mumbled to himself. 

“You eat tonight?” Bucky asked, already heading for the kitchen space, and Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, Mom.”

“Protein bars in the lab don’t count.”

“... no, Mom.” He pulled the arm back from his eyes to see Bucky grinning at him.

“You hungry?”

“I could eat,” Tony admitted.

Tony may or may not have dozed while Bucky made them a couple sandwiches. Apparently his suit was easier to remove than Tony’s because he had stripped out of it at some point, leaving him in skin tight workout clothes. 

“You steal my flight suit design too?” he asked, mouth a little dry. Bucky just shrugged, handing him a plate as Tony sat up and snagging the seat previously occupied by Tony’s head. 

“There’s not a whole lot of room under there,” he admitted. He nudged Tony’s side. “Better than the time you went out in nothing under the suit though, right?” 

Tony scowled at him. “I thought we agreed to never mention that again.”

Bucky just laughed, leaning into his side as they are their sandwiches, which were simple but unfairly delicious - Bucky had taken to twenty-first century cuisine like a pro. They fell into a comfortable silence until they finished, setting their plates on the coffee table with a clatter. Now that he was up here, Tony didn’t find himself in a rush to get back to the party. It was relaxing, just sitting with Bucky, and he was suddenly aware of how sleepy he was, the way his feet were hurting, and the tension in his neck that was threatening to turn into a headache.

“Fuck,” he grumbled, rolling his head a little. “You see what you did? Take me away from the party and suddenly I’m old again.”

Bucky was an asshole and laughed at him, but then his metal arm was shifting, the hand curling around the back of Tony’s neck. He hummed at the feeling of the cool metal on his skin, and when Bucky’s fingers started digging into the tight muscles, he just about melted into him.

“Oh shit,” he mumbled, leaning heavily into Bucky’s side and not even caring. “That feels amazing. Seriously Buckaroo, you’ve been holding out on me. You ever want to quit saving the world, you’ve got an excellent backup plan here. I will personally pay you a whole lot of money to just show up and rub my neck for me every night, Jesus.” 

Bucky was laughing as Tony let his mouth run, but at least he wasn’t professing his love to the man - or his arm - just yet. Tony shuffled closer to Bucky, letting his head tip forward as he eyes slipped shut.

Tony didn’t even realize he’d started to drift off until Bucky’s hand pulled away again, and he managed a low whine of protest under his breath. But before he could fully wake up, Bucky was shifting him around like a doll, settling him so that his head was tucked up against Bucky’s thigh. His hand went right back to Tony’s neck, rubbing over it, and Tony felt sleep claiming him again. He mumbled something about going back to the party, but Bucky just huffed out a soft laugh.

 “Nah, get some sleep Iron Man. I’ll keep you company.”

And then they both fell asleep on the couch, and Tony dreamt that they were both flying around being Iron Man together, and things were only mildly awkward when they woke up because they’re both clueless dorks who haven’t yet realized they’re in love with each other. The end, Happy Halloween!

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween y’all!
> 
> Check me out on tumblr! [Ceealaina](http://ceealaina.tumblr.com) \- come talk to me!


End file.
